The Elder
by Phoenix Oblivion
Summary: Rookpaw's life is perfectly normal, that is, until the elder comes. He will shape him and his sisters life beyond recognition, and a bit further, for the elder has lived longer in one life than a leader could in nine... Please review, it helps (a lot).
1. Chapter 1

The Elder

An old, useless looking cat steps out of the fern bush and Rookpaw feels even more wary. The cat looks like he has seen much, but Rookpaw thinks he could beat the old cat. His grey fur is long an falling out; this fact makes Rookpaw even more confident.

And when the jet black apprentice attacks, he has the old cat on the floor in a matter of second with no apparent struggle.

But suddenly, Rookpaw is unsure of what action to take. Should he chase it off the Thunderclan territory or bring it back for the senior warriors to examine? Eventually, he decides to bring it back to the Thunderclan camp and then let Bramblestar take care of it. The old cat puts up no threat as Rookpaw sniffs him- the elder smells of the old twoleg place- making the apprentice certain that this is in fact an intruder.

"Come with me," Rookpaw snarls aggressively.

"Fine," the old cat sighs quietly. "I've nowhere else to go."

And the elder, as Rookpaw guessed would happen once more- puts up no struggle as the apprentice drags him through the gorse brambles and into the a clearing where Rookpaw's mentor (Longscar, he had a large scar on his cheek) waits for him.

He looks at the old cat strangely. "Rookpaw, I told you to hunt prey not cats," then he shrugs, "then again, an intruder is an intruder."

The pair of cats make possibly the best decision for Thunderclan ever by bringing he cat into the camp.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN**

**This story may seem a lot different from my other story- Murder in the Snow, if you've read that- but that's because I decided to use a different style, and writing with a new tense is harder than I thought so the chapters for the Elder will be shorter and more simple than MITS (Murder in the Snow) it will also be updated slower.**

Stares lock onto a slightly nervous Rookpaw and an extremely overconfident Longscar; the elder looks more afraid then anything and he trudges along beside them knowing he has no chance of escape. Some of the stares contain anger, some curiosity, and some amusement at the helplessness in the eyes of the elder.

Bramblestar- a huge brown cat who is named after the son of Tigerstar- leaps down from the highledge and puts himself nose to nose with Longscar. "Why have you brought this elder to our camp?" he snarls.

"It is helpless and elders are an important part of the clan," Longscar replies, more boldly than Rookpaw would have deemed polite to the leader of Thunderclan. He glances at Bramblestar, hoping that he will not do anything to his mentor: even if he is hot-headed and arrogant, he cared for him.

Bramblestar's eyes narrow to slits and they push into Longscar's face with all the authority as leader, but Longscar is not afraid or even concerned and he pushes back. Rookpaw can almost feel the tension burning between the two cats, and his insides feel torn between loyalty to his mentor and leader.

Eventually, and to Rookpaw's relief, Longscar backs down, but he is annoyed; doesn't want to stop fighting. Bramblestar's smiles at his small triumph and then pushes his way past Longscar and Rookpaw and into the _elders _face. Rookpaw cannot help feeling that Bramblestar is slightly foolish when it came to power and welcome.

"What is your name stranger?" he whispers, barely loud enough for Thunderclan to hear. Rookpaw expects the elder to crumple under the pressure, but to his surprise he holds firm, and now you can see that the elder could most certainly be a cranky one if he wishes.

The apprentice half laughs as he retorts. "My name is Frost you-" immediately Longscar cut in before Frost can properly insult Bramblestar. That could have disastrous consequences to Frost. "He wishes to stay," Longscar says, with a hint of menace that immediately Thunderclan gasp at.

Bramblestar turns his harsh gaze away from Longscar and locks onto the elder once more. "You will stay prisoner in the Thunderclan camp until I decide what to with you?" he adds a sneer to his speech which Rookpaw cannot help snarling at. Why couldn't Longscar and Bramblestar just chill?

Two big brawny warriors emerge from the crowd and drag the elder away by the scruff like he was a piece of fresh kill. The crowds disperse and Rookpaw takes a small mouse and sits with his sister- a crystal white apprentice called Spiritpaw- and then the pair begins to eat.

"What did you think of that?" she says softly, yet with excitement lacing her voice. "I wonder what will happen to Frost?" she gazes at Rookpaw for an answer but when she gets none, the apprentice starts to speak about her training and how well it is going. Rookpaw, unfortunately, cannot say the same. He does not enjoy training as a warrior and he hopes that this opportunity will quench his thirst for action, he hopes he will finally have some fun.

"Spiritpaw," he says finally. "Do you ever feel trapped?" The question immediately makes Spiritpaw turn her head to stare at Rookpaw.

"No, why?" she asks. Rookpaw does not reply, instead he begins to eats his mouse. Little does he know that Frost is watching him like a hawk from the prisoner's den?

.

Frost turns his head towards the guard, hoping to find a way out, but he only finds more darkness. He sighs, and then curls up in his nest, wondering when fate will finally claim his first life-

First life, he thinks. I always forget that, I'm only on my first life, I have three more lives to live. In this body, I have lived a lot, but never so much as to think of wasting it.

Yes, Frost thinks finally. I will start the process of change when I have saved Thunderclan from Shadowclan.

And when I find out why the Rook and the Spirit are so special, he thinks, before he curls up in his nest and falls asleep.

Unwelcome dreams grip him hard. Starclan are determined to never make him sleep well.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Rookpaw feels the heat of the sun on his back like he's in a fire. He shivers, not because it's cold, because he's scared of Longscar as he pins him to the ground with claws unsheathed.

"That was terrible you lazy, good for nothing apprentice!" Longscar yelled, letting Rookpaw up. There was a long, bleeding cut on his side, which sting. Rookpaw tries to keep a straight face but he couldn't help wincing in utter agony.

He hisses angrily and leaps at Longscar, but only for the apprentice to find he is already on the ground, with Longscar yelling in his ear. He feels utterly blue, like there is an ember inside which is flickering out. He tries to struggle but Longscar's weight is too great. He must break free; he must prove to Longscar that he is not useless.

He leaps upwards, digging his claws into Longscar's pelt and flipping him over, using his mentor's greater weight against him. He has Longscar pinned, and his mentor struggles with the surprise of being caught out by his apprentice.

Suddenly, he smiles. "Good work Rookpaw, that was exceptional!"

Rookpaw feels his chest swell with pure pride and he pads back to his camp with his mentor triumphant. The cats all turn and smile as they see how Rookpaw bounces into the camp so enthusiastically, it was clear to the most unemotional rogue that he was very happy.

He sits down beside Spiritpaw again and tells her in great exaggeration at how he took on Longscar in his full glory, and he beat him with ease. Spiritpaw smiles and congratulates Rookpaw as he basks in his own adulation.

"I talked with Frost Rookpaw," Spiritpaw whispers quietly.

"Really?" Rookpaw replies, all his concentration on Spiritpaw now, he is impressed by this feat because he tried earlier that day and failed miserably.

Rookpaw listens carefully as Spiritpaw tells him of how Frost hardly said a word when she was in there, but seemed like he was listening a lot. Rookpaw listens with a sort of interest that fades away quickly, for he is suddenly absorbed by the fact that his secret crush has appeared from the apprentice's den.

The she cat's name is Duskpaw, and she has light brown fur which is short and clings loosely to her body. He eyes are deep colour of amber and Spiritpaw's eyes roll as she steps out of the den and towards the vision of Rookpaw. The jet black apprentice's sister knows she will get no more interest from her brother as long as Duskpaw stands by him. She turns and walks boldly into the apprentice's den where she curls up and falls asleep.

.

"Rookpaw, what's that?" Spiritpaw nudges her brother and points to an eery glowing burning from the elder's den. The look at each, each puzzling out what was happening.

Rookpaw comes to a conclusion first. "Only one way to find out." Casually, the two apprentices pad out of the den. Across the camp. Heartbeat. Fear. They turn and stare into the elder's den-

And Frost's paw is completely blue, and shining like the stars above…

**AN**

**Short chapter, I know, but it's getting into its stride.**


	4. Chapter 4

Rookpaw and Spiritpaw both gasp in horror at how Frost lies on the floor like a corpse. They dash forward and kneel down beside him.

"Frost? What's going on?" Rookpaw yelled in panic. Half of the elders shoulder is now completely covered in blue energy. Spiritpaw hushes him and whispers that he'll wake the clan up. The tom cannot calm down, the pressure is too great.

"Rookpaw, Spiritpaw," Frost rasps. He looks on the edge of panic as well. "You must get me out of the camp, into… into the forest."

Spiritpaw nods and Rookpaw realises he must help his sister. They drag Frost into the camp clearing, all the while gazing around, and trying to see if any of the clan has woken up. They haven't.

"Quick, into the forest!" the trees and bushes run up to welcome them. What is going on? Rookpaw thinks. He is sweating out of his fur now, the sight of half of Frost's grey body covered in stars is almost too much for him to handle.

The three soon reach a clearing in the forest, and Frost crawls out of their paws and sprawls on the ground. He looks at the apprentices gravely. "You, you must go!"

But Rookpaw and Spiritpaw and rooted to the spot, they can't predict what is happening, but they want to know; they refuse to leave.

"GO!" is the last thing that Frost, shouts before he is completely submerged in stars. Rookpaw gazes at Spiritpaw, unsure of what to think, when suddenly, he explodes. The glow is absolutely hypnotizing, the glow from the stars was faint, but now it is like Starclan itself. Both apprentices gasp, is this what going to Starclan is like! It is obvious that they have never seen a death before, but they suspect that this will be their first sight.

Suddenly, the light dies away, and they finally see Frost once more. But to their horror, they see-

They don't see the long, old; grey fur of Frost but the crystal white, handsome ice blue eyes of a young warrior. His face shoes that he must be a junior warrior, young and full of energy. She cats would be chasing after him if he were in a clan.

Frost, or what was Frost, rolls over and groans up at them. "I told you to leave," he says, "but you wouldn't listen."

"Wha… what happened?" Spiritpaw whispers. Rookpaw can see she is a daze, and so is he. They had no idea this was possible. Could a cat just change his appearance like that? Rookpaw asks the same question and Frost stares at them.

"This was what I looked like when I was at my best," he says finally. Rookpaw stares at him in disbelief and Spiritpaw faints. Frost looks uneasy and Rookpaw feels a quiet surge of anger.

"So you can just do that? When you're dying of old age or injury, you can just go something ninety moons backwards and look like you did when you were young? How does that work? When you drop, you're expected to die! Not come back to life," he spits, not exactly sure why he is so angry.

Frost doesn't answer, just stares at the ground with an air of awkwardness. "It's not my fault that this happened. I didn't want this to happen…" he replies solemnly.

Rookpaw suddenly pities Frost, from how he speaks, he can tell that Frost never meant for this to happen, and it's more like a curse than anything else. It makes him scared, and he turns away, grabbing his sister by the scruff and dashes into the undergrowth, back to the Thunderclan camp.


	5. Chapter 5

Rookpaw watches the clan suspiciously. It is early morning, but the two apprentices's had no sleep since whatsoever. It makes Spiritpaw nervous, she is shivering, waiting for Bramblestar's reaction when he realises that Frost has disappeared, what he does when he realises another cat with Frost's scent still lingers in his territory. Will he get the idea that there are more loners on his territory?

Suddenly, Longscar's scent enters Rookpaw's nostrils and his mentor pads out of the warriors den. His eyes turn and lock onto the leaders den, and the apprentice hears him mutter, "My brother doesn't deserve that post." Rookpaw blinks, Longscar is Bramblestar's brother? That's something I didn't know, he thinks.

Rookpaw feels another voice rasp in his ear and he turns to see Spiritpaw looking worried. "Where do you think Frost is? He'll have some explaining to do if he comes back into the camp!" she says.

"He'll have some explaining to do to us first! Do you think that that came naturally or-" Rookpaw replies hotly, but Spiritpaw hushes him with an icy glare, telling her brother that she doesn't want to talk about it. Rookpaw's eyes narrow and he begins to protest, but suddenly Bramblestar appears from his den and leaps onto the highledge.

"It has been reported to me that the prisoner- Frost- has disappeared," To Rookpaw's relief, no one seemed too put out by it, Bramblestar especially, he even had a grin on his face. "Search the territory for him, and Starclan help us if we find him!"

A couple of cats giggled at this but Rookpaw and Spiritpaw just glared. Even if I don't like Frost, our leader has no right to treat him like this, Rookpaw spits bitterly. But something very different is falling through Spiritpaw's mind. The young she cat cannot get the soft look of Frost's fur from her head, the courage and fierceness in his ice blue eyes. She is completely obsessed with the rogue…

The clan disperse and almost immediately Rookpaw and Spiritpaw dash out of camp. They know they must find Frost first and warn him of the coming clan patrol. They start looking where the originally left him, and find- as they predicted- that he is not there. But his scent trail lingers and they run along the scent path in, desperate to find the tom. Finding nothing, they have almost given up when they see a flash of white fur in the undergrowth; the pounce and land on the unsuspecting Frost.

"Wha-" the loner starts before they muffle him against there fur…

The patrol is right behind them.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note**: Sorry about the slow updating- stupid writers block- but here's the new chapter and I hope you enjoy it! Please review.

* * *

Frost's mind whirls as he tries to figure out what is going on; his voice is muffled against Spiritpaw's fur so he cannot speak. In his nose he can pick up the faint smell of more than one Thunderclan cat but is unaware of the patrol in front of them. Only when Rookpaw decides that the patrol has disappeared does he let Frost up. The confusion in the toms eyes is unmistakable, so Spiritpaw quickly explains the events of the morning. It makes Frost even more worried as the conversation drags on. Rookpaw is almost glad that the hansome tom is worried, but when they finish, Frost begins to speak.

"I suppose I owe you an opology," the tom whispers slowly.

"You definetly do..."

.

When I was just a kitten, my mother ways alays on the move. She never stopped moving, not if he could help it, and in Leaf-Bare, I was barely catching up with her. Of course, when I was a kitten, I didn't know why. My mother as a former clan cat who had fallen in love with a Shadowclan warrior, she had been banished from Riverclan when they found out. But one cat had been in love with her, and wanted revenge. He left Riverclan frequently, tryng to find my mother. And once day, he did, he ripped out my mother's throat right in front of my eyes. And after he'd finshhed with my mother, he came to me and snapped my neck.

But as my mother really was still loyal she gained a place in Starclan, but I couldn't join them because I had never felt loyalty. So my mother gave up all of her strength in Starclan to bring me back- all of it... she brought me back four times. And because you ar returned to your ultimate strength in Starclan, I am brought back to my youth. I have only just lost my first life, so I have three left.

But I don't want to live them...

* * *

Spiritpaw stood, gazing at Frost, unsure of what to say. His revelations about the past make her feel bad... this ca has lived so much, and it daunts her that she has lived so little. Rookpaw, on the other hand, feels not shocked, but feels pity for Frost. He must have to live about four hundred moons of life which he doesn't even want!

"So that's why you're back..." Spiritpaw says.

"What?"

"To get revenge on your mother's killer,"Rookpaw prompts, but as soon as he says it he knows that he has much, much bigger business here, for one reason or another.

Rookpaw suddenly knows he is correct. "Partly." Frost replies sadly. You can all most feel his sorrow burning of him in waves. "About one moon ago, I had this strange prophecy from Starclan... they told me that Thunderclan would be in grave danger from Shadowclan if I did not return to the forest, and also that, that-"

Suddenly, Frost's eyes turned crimson, the colour of blood. "_The spirit will burn through the forest, and the rook will engulf the skies..."_


	7. Chapter 7

Rookpaw stares uneasily at Spiritpaw: he's not sure if he should approach. She has been severely shaken by the prophecy that Frost delivered to them because they knew they were going to have an nimpact on the future of the warrior clans. Unfortunetly, it seemed most likely that it would be a negative impact. The tom sighs at exactly the same time that Bramblestar leaps up onto the Highledge and calls a clan meeting.

When when all of Thunderclan stand below the ledge does Bramblestar begin to speak. "Thunderclan, Shadowclan is pressuring our borders!" Rookpaw goes colder than ice, because he knows with an absolutely sickening jolt that the attack has begun... the two apprentice's destinty has begun. He turns around and sees Spiritpaw disappearing into the forest. Pure panic fills his mind. _Spiritpaw is going to tell Frost! No! She couldn't do a worse thing!_ The tom is just about to disppear after her when a smooth voice echoes into his ears. He turns around and sees Duskpaw watching him curiously.

"Where are you going Rookpaw? It's a clan meeting," she asks, puzzled. The toms heart suddenly yearns to move closer to her, but then she shakes his head.

"It's important," he replies as quickly as he probably can. "My sister is in danger and I have to find her."

"She's in danger!" Duskpaw mutters, shocked now. "Shouldn't we-" But Rookpaw disappears into the forest, but little does he know that Duskpaw is hot on his tail. He is desperate, he doesn't trust Frost, and he doesn't fancy the idea of his sister being alone with the enigmatic tom. Her scent is fresh so he can chase her without to much trouble, but his scent is also extremely fresh, and Duskpaw follows, knowing as well as Rookpaw that something terrible is going to happen if she doesn't catch up with Rookpaw soon.

Suddenly, Rookpaw's scent glands pick up not only Spiritpaw's scent, but also the deep smell of Shadowclan, mingled with Frost and- their, on the grass. Blood. All hell explodes around them, somewhere in Duskpaw and Rookpaw's mind they can sense horrible screams of utter agony, but all they can think is that they must arrive there in time. And then Shadowclan is there, their warriors ripping the fur out of Rookpaw's sister, but Frost is fighting like a rogue. His claws scratching everything that he can touch. Shadowclan cats drop like stones; before Duskpaw and Rookpaw know what is happening, they are covered in cats as well. Their claws unsheathe and they join Frost, pulled away by the tug of battle, covered in blood and instinct.

They are lying on the ground, beaten and left for dead, when Thunderclan arrive.

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**Author's Note: What do you think? Like it? Hate it? Tell me your opinion, all types of reviews welcome.**


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